Back / lumbar spine Board decisions

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to procedural issues and need for additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and left knee arthritis are granted service connection. The lumbar spine disability, right sciatica, left sciatica, and respiratory disability claims are denied. Service connection for coronary artery disease secondary to PTSD is also denied.

The Veteran's back disability is remanded for further examination and review to determine the appropriate rating, as the previous examinations did not adequately address pain and functional loss.

The Veteran's requests to reopen claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a low back condition, and left knee arthralgia have been granted. The cases are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right knee, left knee, and back conditions due to insufficient medical opinions addressing the etiology of these conditions. The Veteran's private chiropractor provided an opinion linking his bilateral knee condition to a motor vehicle accident during service.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, neck injury residuals, low back injury residuals, and right and left leg radiculopathy due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.,Service records do not show any complaints or diagnoses related to the claimed disabilities until years after separation from active duty.

The Board has dismissed all claims for service connection due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his legacy appeals.

The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is currently rated at 20 percent from August 24, 2015 to October 6, 2020. The Board has remanded the issue for a new examination and opinion regarding whether the Veteran should be granted higher ratings based on ankylosis or unfavorable ankylosis of the thoracolumbar spine.

The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current respiratory disorder separate from OSA, and thus service connection for this condition is denied. The remaining issues of service connection for right knee disability, left knee disability, lumbar spine disability, and hemorrhoids are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for his low back disability and for service connection for right lower extremity radicular symptoms due to inadequate examinations and raised issues that have not been addressed.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a shoulder disability as secondary to his service-connected back and radiculopathy of the lower extremities. The issues of increased rating for degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, service connection for keloid scarring on face, and service connection for hands shaking, bilateral are all remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back disability was denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim, resulting in denial. The claims of entitlement to an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU are remanded.

The Veteran's OSA is granted as secondary to her service-connected PTSD with obesity. The ratings for her neck and back disabilities remain at 20 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for lumbar degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service. Service connection was denied for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to lack of evidence linking it to service or a service-connected condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, including his past work as an account representative or in systems design.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for various conditions due to inadequate medical opinions in prior examinations.

The Board has remanded the cases for a VA examination to clarify whether the Veteran's peripheral neuropathy or radiculopathy is associated with his service-connected thoracolumbar spine disorder.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed low back disability, finding that there was no evidence of a disease or injury incurred in service and concluding that any current condition is not related to her military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hand arthritis, CTS, lumbar spine condition, and bilateral knee condition due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran contends her conditions are related to service, including repetitive movements in her MOS as a medical service specialist.

The Board has remanded the claims to reopen for consideration of new and material evidence related to low back, bilateral knee, left ankle, bilateral hearing loss, right knee, and right ankle disorders.